The ATTO Project's contribution to COP30 in Belém
Our MPI-BGC scientists Sönke Zaehle and Hella van Asperen presented the ATTO project at COP30 in Belém
At the COP30 climate conference in Belém, Brazil, under the motto Mutirao (joint effort), over 50,000 registered delegates and observers met to achieve progress in international climate policy. Due to the location of the venue at the mouth of the Amazon River, the continuous presence of the local and indigenous population, and the outstanding importance of tropical forests in the climate system, the Amazon rainforest received special attention. A total of three events took place with the direct participation of scientists from the MPI-BGC to present our research at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO):
On 12 November, German and Brazilian scientists celebrated 10 years of successful research at the ATTO tower in the rainforest near Manaus, at the Museu das Amazônias of the hosting Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology (Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação, MCTI), together with the responsible Brazilian minister, Luciana Santos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2bKHUrCtVo
(Sönke Zaehle from 43:00 min)
In addition, an international panel discussion on "Climate and Biodiversity in the Amazon" took place at the Science House on 19 November. Here, Cleo Quaresma (INPA) and Sönke Zaehle (MPI-BGC) presented the goals, results and future plans of the German-Brazilian ATTO project.
As a side event to COP30, the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) organised the "Science for Action Evening" in the German pavilion, where participants from science, research funding, politics and civil society exchanged ideas. Here, on 19 November 2025, Sönke Zaehle gave a presentation on the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) as an example of well-balanced and fruitful bilateral cooperation between Brazil and Germany.
https://german-climate-pavilion.de/?pgm=32&nav=14&language=eng&tz=America%2FBelem
(Sönke Zaehle from 14:00 min)
In the run-up to COP30, our ATTO scientists already published and communicated several scientific summaries on ATTO research aspects. The texts can be found on the ATTO website: https://www.attoproject.org/de/medien/infomaterial/
Overall, our scientists at MPI-BGC were able to strengthen international research collaboration and contribute to providing COP30 delegates with the latest scientific findings on climate change in the Amazon.
